The
number of adults in England who regularly volunteer in sport
has risen by more than 120,000 over the past two years, according
to new research.

More than two million people aged 16 and over are now committing at least one
hour a week to supporting sport in their community –
equivalent to a full-time workforce of approximately 85,000
employees.

Sport England is working with national governing bodies
of sport to increase the number and quality of volunteers
in grassroots sport.

The results of the Active People Survey 2 show that the
number of men regularly volunteering in sport has risen
by over 91,000 to 1.3 million, while over 737,000 women
are now volunteering for an hour a week.

Nearly 480,000 people between the ages of 35 and 44 are
regularly giving their time to sport -- a significant increase
over the past two years. Those aged 65 and over are also
volunteering more.

Dr Justin Davis Smith, Chief Executive of Volunteering
England said: “It’s fantastic news to hear that
the number of people volunteering in sport has increased
so significantly since the last Active People Survey.

“Volunteers are the lifeblood of sport in this country.
From coaches and referees to fundraisers and club administrators,
these are the people who are helping keep sport healthy
in our communities."

The growth in volunteering over the past two years has
been matched by an increase of more than half a million
in the number of adults in England who regularly play sport.

More than 6.8 million people aged 16 and over are now taking
part in sport at least three times a week, for a minimum
of 30 minutes, at moderate intensity.

This figure contributes to a total of 11.73 million people
choosing to participate in physical activity.

It also provides the baseline for Sport England to measure
our target of getting one million people playing more sport
- as part of the Government's drive to get two million people
more active by 2012..